Why are Canadians not enamored with guns like people in the US?

Allan:

I grew up in Canada. I’m basically Canadian. We owned a riffle because we had a hunting permit and we lived on the semi-country side. However, we never used it.

A good percentage of Canadians own guns but it’s not overwhelming.

Most rural Canadian households and country people own at least one riffle.

Now it’s important to mention the difference between Canadian gun culture versus U.S. gun culture. Weapons, violence and guns are not glamorized in Canada. Weapons are not viewed as this “badass” thing. They’re viewed as stupid and low consciousness. Weapons and guns are usually not a topic of discussion and if you talk about guns and weapons outside the context of Military or hunting or any gun-related context, most Canadians will begin to feel uncomfortable around you.

With that being said, here are the 5 major reasons why Canadians are not enamored with guns and weapons :

• Canadians feel safe in general. Canada is on the top 20 list of the safest country in the world alongside the Netherlands. Most weapons are prohibited here (even brass knuckles and pepper spray). You see, when you live somewhere where you know nobody has a gun or weapon on them, the fear of the other tends to emancipate. The concept of danger or feeling in danger becomes less of a thing. People don’t think about it. People are less stressed out. Love, respect and peace tend to rise in your heart. Yes there are crimes in Canada and no it is not a perfect country, but, we rarely fear for our life; even when being pulled over by the cops.

• Canadians have a Human Rights Chart. To summarize, this chart states that every human has right to feel safe and be who they want to be without being discriminated against.

• Canadians don’t view guns as a political statement. If we need to make a statement, we protest with carton signs and ONLY in extreme protest cases, some people might throw Molotov cocktails (we’re influenced by Europeans). While throwing Molotov cocktails is not better than shooting guns, it’s usually not with the intention to kill. It’s more to make a political statement. Canadians will never use guns or weapons in a protest. Not that I know of and I’ve been to some of these protests.

• Canadians don’t view weapons or guns as self-defense. We don’t believe in shooting people or using weapons to do anything really. If a Canadian owns a gun, they keep it safe in the garage or some place you can’t see and they rarely talk about it. Usually, if it has to come down to violence, most Canadians will choose to fist fight if they have to defend themselves in extreme situations.

• Canadians use weapons primarily for hunting wild animals during hunting season. I personally don’t partake in that and I don’t condone it but, it is what it is.

Marie-Eva Volmar